Ecclesiasticus 32

¹Have they made thee Ruler? Be not extolled: be among them as one of them.

²Have care of them, and so sit thou still, and all thy care being dispatched, repose.

³That thou mayst rejoice for their sakes, & receive a crown as an ornament of grace, and obtain the dignity of the contribution.

⁴Speak thou that art elder: for it becometh thee,

⁵the first word to him that loveth with knowledge, & hinder not music.

⁶Where there is no hearing, pour not out speech, and extol not thyself out of time in thy wisdom.

⁷A little pearl of the carbuncle in an ornament of gold, and the comparison of musicians in a banquet of wine.

⁸As a signet of the emerald is in the working of gold: so the melody of music is joyful and moderate wine.

⁹Hear holding thy peace, & for thy reverence good grace shall come to thee.

¹⁰Young man speak in thine own cause scarcely.

¹¹If thou be asked twice, let thine answer have an head.

¹²In many things be as it were ignorant, and hear holding thy peace and withal asking.

¹³In the midst of great men presume not: & where ancients are, speak not much.

¹⁴before hail there shall go lightning: & grace shall go before shamefastness, & for thy reverence good grace shall come to thee.

¹⁵And at the hour of rising slack not thyself: but run before first into thy house, and there withdraw thyself, and there play,

¹⁶and do thy conceits, and not in sins and proud word.

¹⁷And above all these things bless our Lord that made thee, & that doth replenish thee with all his goods.

¹⁸He that feareth our Lord, shall receive his doctrine: and they that will watch after him, shall find blessing.

¹⁹He that seeketh the law shall be replenished with it: and he that doth deceitfully, shall be scandalized by it.

²⁰They that fear our Lord, shall find just judgement, and shall kindle justices as light.

²¹A sinful man will fly reprehension, and according to his will, will find excuse.

²²Aman of counsel will not destroy understanding, an alien and proud man will not dread fear:

²³Yea after he hath done with fear without counsel, he shall be controlled even by his own pursuits.

²⁴Son do nothing without counsel, and after the fact thou shalt not repent.

²⁵Go not in the way of ruin, and thou shalt not stumble at stones: commit not thyself to a laborious way, lest thou set a scandal to thy soul.

²⁶And beware of thy children, and take heed of them of thy household.

²⁷In all thy work believe thy soul by faith: for this is the keeping of the commandments.

²⁸He that believeth God attendeth to the commandments: and he that trusteth in him, shall not be lessened.